Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoe

ABSTRACT

The invention is a shoe that has a variable length and flexible shape realized because of a flexible sectional sole and a flexible upper corresponding to the forefoot section of the user&#39;s foot. These flexible portions of the shoe permit bending of the forefoot relative to the rest of the shoe to change the length and shape of the forefoot and the length of the upper vamp of the shoe in order to allow a player to achieve maximum results in sports where feet and shoes are the player&#39;s tools, where the shoe aids in using the maximum number of sweet spots of the shoe for control, distance, and accuracy. The invention is an improvement over the prior art by allowing a user to better approximate the natural flexibility of bare feet as opposed to rigid shoes that limit a player&#39;s ability to use the natural flexibility of their feet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to copending U.S. Provisional patentapplication No. 61,969,263 entitled “Precision Soccer Shoe withCustomized Flexibility” filed on Sep. 3, 2012, which provisionalapplication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety; thisapplication claims the benefit of the provisional's filing date under 35U.S.C. 119(e).

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to a shoe that has a variable total length,variable upper vamp length and variable forefoot shape realized becauseof a flexible sectional sole and a flexible upper corresponding to theforefoot section of the foot. These flexible portions of the shoe permitbending of the forefoot relative to the rest of the shoe to change thelength and shape of the forefoot in order to allow a sports player toachieve maximum results in sports where shoes are the player's tools,aiding the user in finding and using the sweet spots of the shoe toimprove precision, trapping, holding and velocity. The invention allowsa user's foot and shoe to better approximate the natural flexibility ofbare feet as opposed to rigid shoes that limit a player's ability to usethe natural flexibility of their feet.

Traditional prior art shoes (FIG. 1) with inflexible soles andinflexible uppers limit a user's kicking velocity because the user'sdistal forefoot (or toe section) is the primary kicking surface which islimited in shape and hardness and therefore limited in the potential forprecision, trapping and holding and velocity. Traditional shoes teachaway from a variable length and flexible forefoot shoe and using theflexibility of feet.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of this invention and the best mode contemplated by theinventor at the time of application is a soccer shoe where the user canachieve competitive advantage unavailable in the prior art by changingthe total length, upper vamp length, and shape of the forefoot part ofthe shoe using movement from the forefoot section of their foot. Oneconfiguration of the user's flexibility is by putting the forefoot ofthe shoe in a down position resulting in a shorter total shoe length butlonger upper vamp length critical for precision shots at goal (FIG. 8).A second configuration of the same embodiment is by changing the totallength of the shoe by putting the forefoot in an up position resultingin a longer foot length and more desirable shape for trapping or holdingthe soccer ball 70 firmly between the forefoot and the shin (FIG. 6). Athird configuration of the same embodiment is a forefoot twisting motionchanging the shape of the shoe enabling a more precise sidekick on thesoccer ball 70 (FIG. 11) and a fourth configuration of the sameembodiment is by changing the shape of the shoe by putting the forefootin an down position for trapping and holding the soccer ball 70 (FIG.7).

The soccer shoe embodiment where the forefoot length (distal forefootplus proximal forefoot sections) ranges between 30% and 47% of the totallength of the shoe was found to be optimal for the maximum use of theshoe for precision kicks, trapping and holds, and to most closely usethe flexibility of a foot for advantage and to approximate theadvantages of bare foot. Other embodiments of this invention for othersports such as football and rugby may use different combinations ofratios between the forefoot and midfoot/hindfoot sections for achievingoptimal results.

A sweet spot is a place where a combination of factors results in amaximum response for a given amount of effort. In soccer, a given kickwill result in a more precise and/or powerful hit if the ball strikesthe foot on the player's sweet spot, often the upper vamp, for aparticular kick.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a traditional prior art soccer shoe.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the Variable Length and Flexible ForefootShoe.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoe.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoe.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the Variable Length and Flexible ForefootShoe.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoein forefoot up position with the shoe trapping a soccer ball.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoein forefoot down position with the shoe trapping a soccer ball.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoewith minimum total length and maximum upper vamp length kicking a soccerball from the sweet spot on the shoe.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoeinsole.

FIG. 10 is three views showing the change in total length and upper vamplength of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoe and the changesin shape as the forefoot bends up and down with a starting shoe lengthof 9 7/16 inches.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the Variable Length and Flexible ForefootShoe with the forefoot twisted inward for a sidekick.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoebeing used to kick a soccer ball using the upper vamp to achievevelocity 1 and with the bent toe to achieve velocity 2.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing the three different toe positions of theVariable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a Variable Length and Flexible Forefoot Shoe 10 with anoutsole 20, upper 30 and insole 50 that are divided into flexibleelastic regions and inelastic regions. The flexible forefoot region ofthe outsole (FIG. 2) is made up of the distal forefoot 12, the proximalinside forefoot 14, the proximal outside forefoot 16 plus the threeelastic interfaces; the interface 22 between the distal forefoot 12 andthe inside 14 and outside 16 proximal forefoot sections and theinterface 24 between the proximal inside and outside forefoot sectionsand the midfoot/hindfoot 18 and the interface 26 between the insideproximal forefoot 14 and the outside proximal forefoot 16. Thecorresponding flexible upper 30 (FIG. 3) comprises the distal forefoot32 and the proximal forefoot 34. The inelastic region of the upper 30comprises the midfoot/hindfoot 36 and the upper vamp 40 which is part ofthe midfoot./hindfoot 36. FIG. 4 is a top view of the upper 30 and FIG.5 is a front view.

The flexible shape and corresponding variable lengths (total length andupper vamp length) of the shoe depend on the position of a user'sforefoot inside the shoe. The ideal kicking (FIG. 8), and holding andtrapping (FIG. 6, FIG. 7) shoe surfaces for purposes of this embodimentand these claims is defined to be the conditions that most approximatebarefoot playing. Other embodiments may use the Variable Length andFlexible Forefoot Shoe design to achieve other ideals.

The standard non-ball control forefoot position of the user is with theforefoot flexing as needed for maximum running stride generally to havethe maximum surface of the shoe in contact with the ground as needed formaximum friction.

When the user wants to maximize control of the ball, the elastic regionsof the shoe flex with the user's forefoot to bend up (FIG. 6), or benddown (FIG. 7) for control. The user can bend down to lengthen the uppervamp length 40 (FIG. 8) for a more precise kick or higher velocity (FIG.12) or twist to change the angle of the shoe for a side kick (FIG. 11).The total length of the shoe 80, length of the upper vamp 40 and theshape of the shoe (FIG. 10) change with the shape of the user's foot inorder to achieve results that approach that of bare feet and hit theball from the sweet spots of the shoe. FIG. 13 shows the range ofmovement of the invention.

For example when the user's forefoot is bent down (FIG. 8), the shoe'stotal length 80 is at a minimum and the upper vamp length 40 at amaximum (FIG. 8, FIG. 10).With the shoe's distal forefoot bent out ofthe way, the upper vamp sweet spot is more exposed and has betterclearance giving the user a competitive advantage by exposing more ofthe upper vamp length making the shoe's kicking ability more like barefoot kicking.

Another example when the user's forefoot is bent up (FIG. 6), the shoe'stotal length 80 is at a maximum and the upper vamp length 40 at aminimum. With the shoe's distal forefoot bent up, the shape of the shoegrasps, traps, and holds the ball in a manner that more approximatesthat of bare feet.

Another example is when the user's forefoot is bent down and the foottwisted inward (FIG. 11), the shape of the shoe improves the precisionand power available for side kicking and more approximates that of barefeet. Prior art shoes with inflexible soles and inflexible uppers forcethe user to twist joints (ankles, knees, hips) to a greater degree inorder to achieve the same angle.

The invention also includes an insole 62 made of inelastic and elasticmaterials such as silicone rubber or neoprene for the interfaces in theforefoot region to create an elastic forefoot region that can bothcompress and stretch and provides the necessary comfort. The insole 62(FIG. 9) comprises an inelastic insole distal forefoot 52; an inelasticinsole proximal forefoot 56; an inelastic insole midfoot/hindfoot 62; aninterface 54 from the elastic distal forefoot to proximal forefoot 56,and an interface 58 from the inelastic proximal forefoot 56 to theinelastic midfoot/hindfoot 62. The interfaces of the insole make theinsole distal forefoot 52 and insole proximal forefoot 56 into anelastic region that transmits the user's forefoot forces and shapechanges to the flexible regions of the outsole and upper.

1. A shoe comprising: a variable total length of the shoe where changes in the total length correspond to a position of a user's forefoot; a variable upper vamp length where changes in the upper vamp length correspond to the position of the user's forefoot; an inelastic outsole distal forefoot; an inelastic outsole inside proximal forefoot; an inelastic outsole outside proximal forefoot; a inelastic midfoot/hindfoot; an elastic outsole interface between the inelastic outsole distal forefoot and the inelastic outsole inside and outside proximal forefoot; an elastic outsole interface between the inelastic outsole inside and outside proximal forefoot and the inelastic midfoot/hindfoot; an elastic upper distal forefoot; an elastic upper proximal forefoot; an upper midfoot/hindfoot.
 2. The shoe from claim 1 with the total length at a maximum and the upper vamp length at a minimum when the user's forefoot is bent up.
 3. The shoe from claim 1 with the total length at a minimum and the upper vamp length at a maximum when the user's forefoot is bent down.
 4. The shoe from claim 1 wherein the upper distal forefoot is inelastic.
 5. A shoe comprising: a changing shape for ball grasping depending on a position of a user's forefoot; an inelastic outsole distal forefoot; an inelastic outsole inside proximal forefoot; an inelastic outsole outside proximal forefoot; a inelastic midfoot/hindfoot; an elastic outsole interface between the inelastic outsole distal forefoot and the inelastic outsole inside and outside proximal forefoot; an elastic outsole interface between the inelastic outsole inside and outside proximal forefoot and the inelastic midfoot/hindfoot; an elastic upper distal forefoot; an elastic upper proximal forefoot; an upper midfoot/hindfoot.
 6. The shoe from claim 5 with the changing shape for ball grasping shape upward when the forefoot is bent up.
 7. The shoe from claim 5 with the changing shape for ball grasping shape downward when the forefoot is bent down.
 8. The shoe from claim 5 with the changing shape for ball kicking shape downward and inward when the forefoot is bent down and the forefoot is twisted inward.
 9. An insole comprising: a compressing and stretching of an insole elastic region corresponding to a force from a user's foot; a transmitting of the user's forefoot force and shape changes to the elastic region of the shoe; an inelastic insole distal forefoot; an inelastic insole proximal forefoot; an inelastic insole midfoot/hindfoot; an elastic distal forefoot to proximal forefoot interface; an elastic proximal forefoot to midfoot/hindfoot interface. 